Many tourists assume you have to stay in the Chicago Loop or River North neighborhoods to get a true “Chicago experience.” In fact, the opposite is true. When you book a room at Lincoln Park hotels, you get a sense for how Chicagoans live—from the restaurants and bars we go to on the weekends to the coffee shops where we meet up with friends. Plus, when you book these hotels in or near Lincoln Park, you're closer to major Chicago attractions like the Lincoln Park Zoo, DePaul University and the Chicago History Museum.

Lincoln Park hotels

The complete overhaul of this 12-story Lincoln Park hotel (formerly a Days Inn) is Joie de Vivre’s first in Chicago. It offers 184 guest rooms, clever artwork (quirky paintings on a lobby wall were sourced from Lincoln Park yard sales), upscale plates at the Kennison and a coffee shop, Elaine's Coffee Call, featuring La Colombe java. The hotel’s rooftop bar, the J. Parker, is a lively hot spot, offering views of the park and skyline.

The 1920s-era hotel at the corner of Clark Street and Diversey Parkway, also long a run-of-the-mill Days Inn, was sold in 2016 to Oxford Hotels & Resorts (the company behind Loop and River North boutique hotels like LondonHouse, the Godfrey and the Langham) and reopened in 2017 as Hotel Versey, with an updated design featuring bold artwork and Chicago iconography.

With free daily breakfast, complimentary afternoon cookies and 24-hour front desk assistance, this quaint, 55-room hotel near the busy intersection of Clark and Diversey has an old-fashioned French country feel. Fans of minor hotel curiosities (and, for that matter, of vintage private-eye movies) will enjoy riding in the original 1920s Otis elevator, creaks and all.

Guests are greeted with American, Illinois and Chicago flags, welcoming travelers to the Windy City. This hostel has the convenience of a residence hall with a full kitchen, TV room and laundry facility, yet the comfort of a hotel providing linens and complimentary 24-hour coffee.